bought mine in ATL (I am in St.Louis), took a plane down there (using site59.com hotel + flight was cheaper than getting a RT flight alone let alone a OW, they have GREAT last minute weekend deals...For ex, just booked a trip to DALLAS this WE, 2 airfares, taxes and stay in a Wynhdam 2 nights for $275 total, last time I stayed at the Hyatt Regency there for $400 everything included).
I drove the car home for 9 hours. It actually was a nice way to get used to the car. I took it to a a close by garage for a basic inspection + emission (the closest dealer was one hour away and was $500 so I passed!).
I bought it from a private party (first owner) and got a good feel from him so I wasn't really worried as he had been unnecessarly honest all along...But trusting your gut feeling doesn't always go well
